New chair from legendary designer Niels Diffrient

Humanscale's new Diffrient World Chair is the latest outing from legendary designer Niels Diffrient, the man who (as Bruce Sterling points out) literally wrote the book on ergonomics. Reading this description is sheer chairporn. $740 is out of my budget, though I have no doubt that it's worth every penny.

Made from just eight major parts and weighing less than 25 pounds, the Diffrient World chair achieves Humanscale's signature weight-sensitive recline through an innovative new design that functions without a mechanism. Utilizing two frame components, the user's body weight, and the laws of physics, the Diffrient World chair's mech-free recline action automatically adjusts to the needs of each user, offering appropriate levels of resistance without unnecessary locks, dials or other manual controls.
Like its older sibling, the award-winning Liberty chair, the Diffrient World chair features Form-Sensing Mesh Technology that ensures perfect lumbar support for every user without the external, manually adjusted lumbar devices found on all other mesh chairs. Additionally, a mesh seat pan with a frameless front edge provides all-day comfort with soft support under the thighs.

Humanscale Sets New Bar With Ultra Simple Task Chair (via Beyond the Beyond)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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Anonymous

Ive had my freedom chair for nearly 10 years now.

It is /absolutely/ worth every single cent. Im on my 4th set of armrest pads too, and they still replace them under its warranty!
BrotherPower

Not trying to be a dick at all, seriously, but $740 is out of Cory’s budget? Really?

Suddenly I don’t feel so bad.
zikman

god I love chairs
El Stinko

That’s not chair porn.

THIS http://www.eatpes.com/roofsex.html is chair porn.
mokey

if chairs didn’t exist, it would be necessary to invent them.
nehpetsE

Dear number 5

As you glibly noted, it IS a chair.
But you fail to also note that it is chair that has been designed to be on the same scale as humans.

I.E. If you were presented with an actual photograph of a person beside the chair, you would see that they looked appropriately sized in relationship to each other, with neither person or chair appearing disproportionately small or disproportionately large.

unlike this chair-
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/2439
Anonymous

But does it cure swamp-ass?
Pantograph

This chair has zero presence.
A soulless chair for a soulless workforce.
neurolux

This chair doesn’t need it’s own soul. It will gladly take yours. For $740 it better have activated charcoal in the cushions to absorb my SBDs.
larsrc

Getting used office chairs rocks. We got a nice-looking chair from a second-hand store for $20. When we examined it more closely, we found it was a fancy Norwegian HÃ¥g chair that retails for $1000. Not only that, they have a life-time warranty, so when the gas cannister (w?) gave out, we had it replaced for free. Sweet!
jackie31337

$740 is really not that bad for an exceptional chair like this considering that in Finland an average office chair (not intended for consumers, but for companies furnishing offices) will cost you several hundred euros anyway. I’ve seen some very nice “executive” office chairs in the 1000 euro price range. I look at it kind of like the rather expensive HÃ¤stens beds: considering you’re going to spend 1/3 of your day in it, it’s well worth making the investment for the long term.
thequickbrownfox

Better than Homer Simpsons’ budget Factory Second from Econo-Save, “All right, Econo-save, you just made the list!”
Ian70

Wow.. it’s a chair.

I, too, have a chair.
Takuan

yeah, but your chair is lame.
Marchhare

Well, I’m glad they’re using the laws of physics. That’s a plus.
calabanos

It looks like the chair from “Better off Ted” that increased productivity by being incredibly uncomfortable.
Apreche

Already got Freedom chair, but this one is looking good.
Marja

Without a mechanism?

I guess I take cause and effect for granted… impressive.
PrettyBoyTim

Actually, it was my grandfather who ‘literally wrote the book on ergonomics’:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ergonomics-Man-His-Working-Environment/dp/0412078007/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244929370&sr=1-1

Still, looks like a lovely chair…
Anonymous

that really isnt a weird price for a quality office chair. It’s not a home chair that you use for maybe a few hours a day.
AirPillo

You can find some of the previous chair models on eBay for around $200-300, which is really rather fair for a high quality office chair, given that you’re likely to be asked to pay $70 or more even for a piece of crap pleathersaurus with shoddy constuction.

I think I spotted one of the Humanscale chairs for $271 with free shipping.
Anonymous

Yep, it’s a chair.